Montana smokejumper aims to join 2026 blue wave Democrats are hoping for

Exclusive Politics Democrats are talking about a midterm blue wave. A Montana smokejumper could help make it a reality. By Hunter Woodall Hunter Woodall Political Editorial Producer Hunter Woodall is a political editorial producer for CBS News. He covered the 2020 New Hampshire primary for The Associated Press and has also worked as a Kansas statehouse reporter for The Kansas City Star and the Washington correspondent for Minnesota's Star Tribune. Read Full Bio Hunter Woodall Updated on: January 5, 2026 / 11:30 AM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google If the hope among Democrats for a decisive blue wave in the 2026 midterms has a chance of coming to pass, the party would likely have to win difficult House contests in redder parts of the country. Montana's 1st Congressional District may prove to be the test case for whether that can happen. Smokejumper Sam Forstag is set to announce on Monday a run for the seat, giving the left a new candidate in the race after two Democratic candidates already filed federal paperwork in the contest. The wildland firefighter and local federal employee union leader, who also had a stint in legislative lobbying for the Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, gained attention in 2025 when he spoke at a rally in Missoula held by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While Montana is a reliably Republican state in national elections, only a few years ago, Montana had a Democratic governor and, until last year, a Democratic U.S. senator. Yet the last Democrat to represent Montana in the U.S. House left office almost 30 years ago.  "The way you win an election in this state, and I actually think the way you actually have some path to victory for the national party, is A: you win back working people, right?" Forstag said in an interview.  "We've got to win back union members like me, who have felt like both parties have abandoned them. And we need to win bac...